Yankee Doodle Dandy was the mascot of the New York Yankees from 1979 to 1981. “Dandy” was a seven-foot-tall bird dressed in Yankee pinstripes who roamed the upper decks having fun with fans at the old Yankee Stadium, the “House that Ruth Built.” Dandy’s name came from the Broadway Musical and title song, Yankee Doodle Dandy about George M. Cohan the composer, lyricist, playwright, actor, singer, dancer, and producer of musicals often referred to as the “The Man Who Owned Broadway.”
Dandy, however, was not modeled after Cohan but after Yankee catcher, Thurman Munson who had a large, bushy mustache. Shortly thereafter, in July of 1979, Yankee Doodle Dandy started work at Yankee Stadium. Sadly, it was on the second of August of 1979 that Yankee catcher Thurman Munson died in a plane crash. Because of the resemblance of Dandy to the popular Yankee catcher, Dandy was put on a leave of absence.
Dandy was “on lease” from the folks who designed him and when the three-year lease was up, the Yankees “let him go.” He was last heard of playing AAA ball in the Yankees farm system where he was making more money than the $40 a game he received cavorting in Yankee Stadium.
Unfortunately for the Yankees getting rid of Dandy did not help the team. The Yankees had won the World Series in 1977 and 1978 but did not repeat until 1996.
The Squirrel
The closest the Yankees ever came to having another mascot was a squirrel named “Left Field Ratatosk” by the New York Times and “Scooter” by fans in honor of the shortstop legend Phil Rizzuto. This was in 2007 when the squirrel could be seen during games atop the left field foul pole. As a good luck symbol, the squirrel was more successful than Dandy as the Yankees won the World Series two years later in 2009.